


Alphabetically Speaking, You're OK

by sarahnotduck (singforabsolution)



Series: Something Sacred [3]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Age Play, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Daddy!Steve, Gen, Little!Bucky - Freeform, Non-Sexual Age Play, Pre-Serum Bucky Barnes, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Uncle!Phil, Vomiting, little!Clint, little!Natasha
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-03
Updated: 2016-09-03
Packaged: 2018-08-12 20:27:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7947880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/singforabsolution/pseuds/sarahnotduck
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky doesn't think much of Clint at first, but perhaps first impressions can be deceiving.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Alphabetically Speaking, You're OK

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why didn't Clint have to use big boy manners but Bucky did? It was completely and outrageously unfair, so he pouted extra hard.

Bucky was in charge of carrying the cake to Uncle Phil's house and making sure it didn't get all squishy and gross. It was a job he took seriously and he was doing well with it too because he didn't leave it on the subway or sit on it or anything like that. Daddy looked like he was trying not to laugh though, which was probably because Bucky was walking so slowly with the precious tinfoil parcel.  

"You sure you're alright with that, Buck?" Daddy asked. 

"Uh huh." They were almost there, just another two houses. Bucky tried to keep his hands nice and flat to avoid squishing the cake because it was a really nice cake and Daddy spent a long time making it for him. Tasha would love it, he was sure. 

Bucky's heart started to beat really fast when Daddy rang the doorbell. He'd been so focused on the cake that he hadn't planned what he was going to say to Tasha yet. By the time Uncle Phil opened the door, Bucky was starting to feel lightheaded. 

"Hey, Phil, sorry to call at such short notice." Daddy shook Uncle Phil's hand and his face did that weird twitchy thing it did every time Daddy was nice to him. Uncle Phil was one of Daddy's fans because he was a super awesome comic book artist who was kind of famous but mostly he didn't get recognized. Uncle Phil knew who Daddy was though because he knew lots about comic books and he had a collection and everything. Bucky maybe felt a little bit smug that his daddy was so special.  

"Not at all. It's great to see you both," Uncle Phil said as he stepped aside so Daddy and Bucky could come inside. "How are you, Bucky?" 

Bucky grabbed a handful of Daddy's shirt and took a step behind him. "Good," he replied shyly, holding the cake out with his spare hand. "We brought birthday cake for you guys." 

"It's very kind of you to share your cake, thank you." Uncle Phil smiled as he took the cake and set it on the console table next to the door.  

"Bucky has something he'd like to say to Tasha," Daddy explained to Uncle Phil.  

Bucky's palms were getting sweaty and there was a big icky lump in his throat. What if Tasha was still mad at him or what if Uncle Phil hated him once he found out what Bucky had said? He was more her uncle than his so he'd probably be mad. Bucky would be mad if it was someone else who said the mean things to Tasha. 

"I see. Well let's find her then, shall we?" Uncle Phil led them towards the living room but Bucky rooted himself to the spot, his hand still tightly fisted in Daddy's shirt. He mustn't have looked too good because Daddy looked kind of worried. 

"Buck, are you feeling alright?" 

He shook his head. No, he wasn't feeling alright at all. Daddy brushed Bucky's bangs back and laid his hand against his forehead to make sure he didn't have a temperature.  

"My stomach hurts," Bucky told him quietly.  

"Do you think it hurts because it's upset or do you think it hurts because _you're_ upset?" Daddy asked. 

Bucky shrugged and looked down at his boots but he kind of thought it was probably because he was upset rather than it.  

Uncle Phil cleared his throat before excusing himself into the living room. "I'll give you two a minute alone." Uncle Phil was super polite. He'd never be mean to Tasha like Bucky had been. 

"Thanks, Phil," Daddy said with a smile. He put his arms around Bucky, "C'mere, boo bear. It's going to be alright. I spoke to Aunt Maria and she said that Tasha isn't mad anymore." 

Bucky snuggled into Daddy's neck and tried not to cry. Maybe Tasha wasn't mad, maybe she was just really sad instead. Daddy squeezed him tighter and Bucky did start to cry then because he was so lucky to have such a great daddy who even loved him when he was bad and mean.  

"You can do this, I know you can because you're my brave little boy and I'll be right here with you the whole time." 

Bucky nodded and took a deep breath. He could be brave for Daddy and Tasha. 

"Ready to go?" 

"Uh huh."  

"That's my boy," Daddy said, kissing Bucky's forehead. 

Bucky held Daddy's hand extra super tight as they made their way into the living room. Phil's house seemed to have a lot of stuff in it that didn't match but Daddy said that it was eclectic and he had a good eye. Bucky scanned the room for Tasha but he couldn't see her, he did however see the little boy sat on the rug playing with building blocks. He had sad eyes.  

Uncle Phil stood behind the little boy, reaching down to ruffle his hair fondly as he said, "Steve, Bucky, this is Clint. Clint, this is Bucky and his daddy, Steve." 

"Hi, Clint," Daddy said brightly.  

The little boy looked up from his blocks but only for a second. "Hi," he said shyly, turning his attention back to the blocks.  

Daddy looked at Bucky expectantly and he obliged. "Hey," he said to the little boy. "Cool tower." Daddy said that was called manners and they were important.  

The little boy just blushed and Bucky was annoyed by it although he didn't know why.  

"Bucky, why don't we go and find Tasha?" Uncle Phil didn't seem to notice that Bucky was annoyed. He offered Bucky his hand and although the brunette didn't want to let go of Daddy's hand, he did like Uncle Phil and he did want to find Tasha so he could say sorry. Then maybe afterwards he could spend the day cuddling with Daddy and maybe Daddy would even draw some pictures for Bucky to color. Daddy's pictures were always funner than the ones in the coloring books and sometimes he even drew pictures of Bucky.  He took Uncle Phil's hand because he really did want to say sorry even if he was scared. 

"You'll be fine, baby." Daddy gave Bucky's other hand a little squeeze and Bucky squeezed back so Daddy would know that it was really okay to let go. After he had though, Bucky wasn't so sure he should have done because Daddy crouched down to help Clint with his tower and that made Bucky's stomach hurt extra bad.  

They checked the dining room and the kitchen but there was still no sign of Natasha. "Tasha, Bucky's here," Uncle Phil called loudly. She was probably hiding.  

Bucky had only been to Uncle Phil's a couple of times so he didn't know all of Tasha's hiding places but he knew some and he could guess others because he was a pretty good hider himself. He knew that her super secret hiding place was in the back of Uncle Phil's closet and he also knew that they weren't supposed to go in there which is why it had to be super secret.  

"Uncle Phil?" Bucky asked as they reached the bottom of the stairs, completing their circuit of the downstairs. "I need the bathroom."  

"Do you need me to go and get your daddy?" Uncle Phil had been a daddy and an uncle for a really long time now so he knew that sometimes little boys and girls needed help, or for someone to check for sea monsters... or just to keep them company a little. If Bucky really was going to the bathroom he would even trust Uncle Phil to check for the monsters, but he wasn't so he shook his head and said,  "I can do it by myself."  

"Alright," Uncle Phil smiled. "Do you remember where the bathroom is?" 

"Uh huh."  

"Good boy." 

Normally Bucky liked being called a good boy but he wasn't really being very good so it made his stomach feel all knotty again. Bucky waited until he heard the door to the living room click shut before he moved. He felt bad that he told a lie but he didn't want Tasha to be in trouble. He hurried up the stairs and along the hall towards the bathroom, where he turned left instead of right and opened the door quietly.  

"Tasha?" He whispered, stopping in the doorway. Maybe this wasn't a good idea. Maybe she wasn't hiding in here after all. He was about to close the door and double back to the bathroom (because he kind of did have to go as it happened) when the squeak of hangers in the closet gave away Natasha's hiding place. 

Bucky tiptoed across the carpet and slowly pushed the closed door open. "Nat?" He whispered. There was no sign of anyone in the closet, just tons of suits and Bucky started to worry that there was a monster in there instead of Tasha or a bear or- 

"BOO!" Natasha swept the hangers aside and leapt out at Bucky who let out a yelp. She giggled and Bucky just pouted, not yelling or telling her she was a butthead or anything because he totally deserved it. 

"Sorry about being mean yesterday," Bucky mumbled when his heart rate had almost returned to normal. "I didn't mean it." 

Tasha shrugged like it was no big deal. "It's okay. You can make it up to me." 

"Yeah?" 

"You can let me borrow your lizards." 

Bucky wasn't sure. He really loved his lizards because they were fun to line up on the floor or to hide in the refrigerator and other places make Daddy jump. Maybe Tasha wanted to hide them in her refrigerator and make her mommy jump too? He could see how that would make her happy. "Okay," he said.  

Bucky rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a rubber lizard. "I got one here, see? You can borrow the rest another time." The others were at home but he'd tucked Aloysius in his pocket to bring with him. He handed it to Tasha who laid it on the palm of her hand and stared at it intently as if it might actually get up and move at any second. "Thanks for my birthday present."  

"I knew you'd like it," she said matter of factly, still focused on the lizard. 

"Buck, you okay up there?" Daddy called from downstairs. 

"Yeah, Daddy." Bucky yelled back. He turned to Natasha. "C'mon, let's go downstairs before we get caught," he said, taking hold of her free hand.  

"You're scaring the lizard." Tasha frowned but she didn't pull her hand away. 

"His name is Aloysius," said Bucky. If she Tasha was going to take care of him then she should know his name. "He's named after the snuffleufac- snuffle-up-a-gus out of Sesame Street." 

They stomped down the stairs, Bucky because he had his boots on still and Tasha just because it was fun to be noisy sometimes. 

"Why didn't you just call him Snuffy?" 

"Because that's his real name, Aloysius. Duh!" Come to think of it, none of it really made much sense. What did an imaginary wooly mammoth have in common with a lizard? And why didn't the Snuffleuf- Snuffy have any ears? Luckily Natasha didn't question him any further on the matter.  

Daddy was waiting at the bottom of the stairs for them. "Everything okay?" He asked. 

The friends looked at each other and nodded. "Bucky said I can borrow Aloysius," Natasha said, holding out the lizard. 

Daddy looked confused. "I thought that one was Ernie?" 

Bucky shook his head. "No, Daddy. Ernie's in the bathroom with Bert. You can't separate them cuz they'll be sad." 

"Of course," said Daddy said with a smile. "Well, I'm sure Aloysius will enjoy his vacation." 

Natasha looked like she was about to say something but Daddy's pocket started playing the theme song to Hannah Montana. Bucky tried to look innocent but it was probably kind of obvious to Daddy who had changed his ringtone again.  

"Don't answer it, Daddy!" Bucky pleaded as Steve pulled the cellphone out of his pocket. Today was supposed to be a fun day.  

"I have to answer it, baby. It's work. It won't take a second." He pressed the accept button. "Hello?" 

Bucky's heart dropped. He hated it when Daddy's work called because it meant there was a problem that needed to be fixed or a deadline was being moved forward and Bucky really wanted quality time with Daddy today.  

"C'mon, let's go play with Uncle Phil and Clint," Tasha suggested.  

Bucky's shoulders had slumped but he nodded. At least he had someone to play with while Daddy was busy. 

 

Uncle Phil was sitting on the couch reading a story to Clint so Tasha and Bucky decided they'd like to listen to. They sat together, cross legged on the floor, while Clint snuggled up close to Uncle Phil and sucked on his pacifier.  

The story was one Bucky had heard before about a little bear who lived in a store and nobody wanted to buy him because he didn't look all shiny and new. It had a happy ending of course, but they didn't get that far before Clint started crying because he was practically a baby and babies cried all the time over dumb stuff.  

"Clint?" Uncle Phil asked. "Do you need me to stop reading?" 

Clint shook his head but he was still crying quietly so Uncle Phil put down the book and gave him a hug. "Natasha, would you pass Tiptoe to Clint please?"  

" 'Kay." Tasha rose gracefully to her feet, retrieving a long eared rabbit toy from the coffee table and passing it to Clint who accepted it with a grateful look. Why didn't Clint have to use big boy manners but Bucky did? It was completely and outrageously unfair, so he pouted extra hard.  

After a few minutes Clint closed his eyes, shifting so that his head was resting against Uncle Phil's shoulder and he could finish reading the story. Even though Bucky knew the little girl took the bear home in the end, he was still glad to hear it and he thought Tasha was too because she was holding onto the lizard almost as tightly as Clint was holding onto the bunny. Bucky felt a little left out because he didn't have a toy to hold.  

Uncle Phil had lots of toys though so he went over to the corner and rummaged through the toy box. There were trucks and picture books, dolls, lego and some things Bucky didn't remember seeing before that might be Clint's like a bow with foam arrows and duplo blocks. Right at the bottom of the box was a beautiful little white pony with a long multicolored mane and tail. Bucky put it in his pocket and went to sit back down next to Natasha. He wasn't going to take the pony home with him, he just didn't want Clint or Uncle Phil to see him playing with it because he didn't know them as well as he did Tasha and they might laugh at him for it.  

Daddy was still talking on the phone to boring work and Bucky sighed because his stomach really hurt and maybe it was because he was hungry or maybe because he needed the bathroom but he couldn't tell Uncle Phil that because he told a lie and he hadn't gone when he was supposed to have done. 

"What's the matter?" Tasha whispered. 

"I'm hungry." She didn't need to know he needed the bathroom.  

"I can get us snacks." 

Bucky shook his head. Uncle Phil only had fruit snacks Bucky remembered that distinctly and he was hoping that Daddy would finish his phone call soon so they could go home and eat yogurt. 

Natasha glanced surreptitiously across at the couch where Uncle Phil was rocking Clint who was sleeping and then over at the door that led directly into the kitchen before grabbing hold of Bucky's t-shirt and whispering, "C'mon. I know where the candy jar is." 

Bucky allowed himself to be led into the kitchen but he struggled to keep up with Tasha because he really did need the bathroom.  

"What's the matter?" she demanded, one hand on her hip. "Do you miss your lizard?" 

He shook his head and stared down at his feet as he muttered, "Need the bathroom. 

"Oh. Well I can check for sea monsters," Tasha offered. "I'm the oldest." 

"No you're not." 

"Yes, I am, buttface. You use a sippy cup like Clint. That means you're little kids and I'm a big kid so I have to protect you both from monsters because monsters only eat little kids. Everyone knows that."  

"Nuh uh."  

"Yuh huh. Besides, sea monsters don't come up through the toilet, that's rats and mutant turtles." She paused, looking up at the shelf where Uncle Phil kept the candy jar. "Gimme a boost." 

Bucky crouched down and cradled one hand in the other so Natasha could use him as a makeshift step. He didn't like the sound of rats or mutant turtles anymore than he did sea monsters so he'd have to remember to ask Daddy to check for those too. 

 With a whoop of triumph Tasha picked up the candy jar and set it down on the counter but something else up on the shelf had caught her eye.  

"C'mon, Nat. Quick." Daddy was only in the next room and could walk in any second. 

Tasha slipped something into her pinafore pocket and then slowly lowered herself to the floor. "Bucky, look." She showed him the contents of her pocket and the candy lay on the side, forgotten.  

"Are those Clint's?" Bucky asked in wonderment.  

"No, Clint's are purple because that's his favorite color. These don’t belong to anybody." Natasha's cheeks were pink which almost never happened and so Bucky deduced that maybe Aunt Maria or Uncle Phil had bought them for Tasha. "You want one?"  

He hesitated.  

"This one is pink _and_ glittery. Here." Tasha didn’t give Bucky a chance to protest. She slipped the pacifier between his lips and Bucky began to suck reflexively. Once satisfied it wasn't going to be rejected, she popped one into her own mouth that read 'princess'.  

Without warning, the kitchen door swung open and the best friends shared a look of blind panic before scrambling in front of the candy jar on the kitchen counter to hide it.  

"What are you two doing in here unsupervised?" Uncle Phil asked.  He didn't sound mad, but Bucky felt all hot and shivery all of a sudden- he recognized the feeling and knew this could only end badly. With a trembling hand he removed the pacifier.  

"I-" he began, but Tasha cut him off with an elbow to the gut.  

"Shhh," she scolded.  

And then, Bucky Barnes proceeded to puke not only all down himself, but also all over Uncle Phil's kitchen floor.


End file.
